Flash Points:

• SFU men's basketball welcomes Bryant to DeGol Arena on Thursday.
• Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on NEC Front Row.
• The Red Flash is 6-11 overall and 3-3 in NEC play after a tough 78-72 loss at Mount St. Mary's on Saturday.
• Freshman Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) won his fourth NEC Rookie of the Week award this season for his efforts against Robert Morris and Mount St. Mary's

SFU Notes | Bryant Notes | NEC Front Row | Live Stats | 3-Point Challenge
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's basketball team continues NEC play on Thursday when it battles Bryant at 7 p.m. at DeGol Arena.  The game will be broadcast on NEC Front Row, with Pat Farabaugh on play-by-play and Bernie Jubeck on color.
 
The Red Flash, led by Head Coach Rob Krimmel, enters the game with a 6-11 record, including 3-3 in the NEC, after a tough 78-72 loss at Mount St. Mary's on Saturday.  The Red Flash was led by Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School)'s fourth double-double of the season (25 points, 12 rebounds) and Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.))'s career-high 23 points.
 
Bryant, coached by Tim O'Shea, is 5-14 overall and 2-4 in the NEC.  The Bulldogs split its NEC matchups last weekend, earning a 77-66 win over Wagner and falling 112-110 in triple overtime against Sacred Heart.  Bryant played a non-conference game against Harvard on Monday, but dropped a tight contest, 70-65.
 
NOTES FROM MOUNT ST. MARY'S
- Freshman Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) had a game-high 25 points, making 11-of-16 shots, and added 12 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season (second in NEC play).  He also had a team-high five assists and a steal. 
- For his efforts last week, Braxton was named NEC Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this season, the most of any NEC freshman this year.
- Sophomore Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) poured in a career-high 23 points in his return to his home state (Maryland).  He hit a career-best five threes and added three rebounds and two assists.
- Sophomore Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked four shots. It was his third double-digit rebounding performance this season and fourth game with four or more blocks.
- Mount St. Mary's shot 54.5 percent in the second half and placed five players in double figures for the game.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Red Flash trails the all-time series, 7-6, against Bryant.  However, Saint Francis has won the last three meetings, including a sweep in last year's contests.  SFU won 71-65 at Bryant on January 21, 2016 and 63-57 at home on February 4, 2016.
 
NEC LEADERS
Through the first few weeks of conference play, Saint Francis owns the NEC's top offense through 17 games, leading the league in scoring (75.1 ppg), field goal percentage (45.8), three pointers made per game (8.7) and three-point percentage (40.2).  The Red Flash offense features a balanced attack with Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) (13.1), Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) (12.7), Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) (11.8) and Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) (11.2) all averaging double-digits in scoring.  SFU is the only NEC team with four players averaging double-figures.  Individually, Nebo tops the conference in blocks, averaging 2.06 per game, while Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) leads the league in three-point percentage (46.4). 
 
FINDING NEBO
Like a lot of opponents this year, Robert Morris and Mount St. Mary's found sophomore forward Josh Nebo (Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes) at the rim this past weekend, when he had seven and four blocks, respectively.  Nebo has become a force when it comes to protecting the rim.  After posting 59 blocks as a freshman, Nebo has 35 this year, with a career-high seven in the win at Robert Morris.  His 94 career blocks are already good for fourth all-time at Saint Francis.  Nebo needs 11 more blocks to tie Earl Brown (2012-15) and Emmanuel Adekunle (1994-98) for third.  His seven blocks at RMU are tied for the 12th-most in a Division I game this year.  Nebo leads NEC with 2.06 blocks per game.
 
In the win over Robert Morris, Nebo added 23 points, on 10-of-12 shooting, and eight rebounds.  According to the NEC's Ron Ratner, Nebo is just the fifth player in Division I since 2010 to post 23 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks and shoot over 80 percent in the same game.  Nebo joins an elite group of players that includes former Kentucky forward and current New Orleans Pelican Anthony Davis.
 
50-WIN Mark
Saint Francis Head Coach Rob Krimmel picked up his 50th career win on Thursday in SFU's 77-57 win at Robert Morris.  He is now just one win away from tying John Loughran (1920-24) for eighth all-time at Saint Francis.
 
3-POINT CHALLENGE
Saint Francis men's basketball is participating in the 2017 Coaches vs. Cancer 3-Point Challenge.  Fans can support the cause by visiting here and pledging an amount of money that will be donated for each three the Red Flash makes during the month of February (eight games).  Proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society for research and awareness.  SFU is one of several programs around the country participating in the challenge, with the program who raises the most money being crowned the champion of the event.
 
The Red Flash will also show its support for Coaches vs. Cancer during Suits and Sneakers Week, on January 23-29, in its games at Wagner and home against Robert Morris.
 
ACTION BRAXTON
Braxton has enjoyed an impressive freshman campaign, which continued with his fourth NEC Rookie of the Week award this past week.  He has posted double-digit scoring efforts in 12 games this season and has eight games with eight or more rebounds.  Braxton has posted four double-doubles.  His 19 rebounds against Stony Brook are the most rebounds by an NEC freshman since Central Connecticut State's Ron Robinson on February 5, 2001 vs. Mount St. Mary's.  He is third among NCAA freshmen in rebounds per game (8.4), only 0.5 rebounds behind UCLA's TJ Leaf.  Braxton averages over a rebound more per game than any other freshman guard in Division I.  The SFU freshman averages 6.4 defensive rebounds per game, the fifth-most among any Division I guard.
 
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Twelve of the seventeen players on the Saint Francis roster are freshman or sophomore eligibility.  Of the 16 players who have appeared a game this year, 12 are freshmen or sophomores.  Through 17 games, the group has combined for 1,120 of the team's 1,281 points (87.4 percent) and 2846 of 3400 minutes (83.7 percent).  Against Mount St. Mary's, a freshman or sophomore scored 69 of the team's 72 points and the group combined for 167 minutes.
 
BOMBS AWAY
Saint Francis hit 13 threes against Sacred Heart, the fourth time this season hitting 10 or more threes.  SFU hit 10 against Duquesne and Marquette and 19 vs. Chatham.  SFU has hit 8 or more threes in 11 games.  The Red Flash is currently 18th in the nation with a 40.2 three-point percentage and leads the NEC, hitting 8.6 threes per game.  SFU hit 50 percent of its three attempts (7-of-14) at Robert Morris despite the Colonials entering the game as the fourth best three-point defense in the nation.
 
Sophomore guard Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) leads the team with 38 threes, with senior guard Georgios Angelou (Halkida, Greece/Lykeio Kanithou) and sophomore Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) right behind with 32 and 26, respectively. 
 
BALANCED ATTACK
The Red Flash has put at least four players in double figures in 10 of 17 games this season and at least three in double figures in 13 games.  SFU had five in double figures in the opener at Saint Bonaventure, while also placing six in double figures against Chatham and five against Robert Morris.
 
King (13.1), Braxton (12.7), Blackmon (11.8) and Nebo (11.2) are all averaging double-figures through 17 games.
 
SMART DEFENSE
Saint Francis has been able to limit its fouls so far this season, averaging only 16.2 fouls per contest.  That ranks 23rd in the nation.  SFU opponents attempt only 16 free throws per game.
 
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
The Bulldogs are 5-14 overall and 2-4 in conference play.  Bryant fell 70-65 in a non-conference matchup on Monday against Harvard.  This past weekend in NEC play, the Bulldogs knocked off Wagner, 77-66, and fell 112-110 in triple overtime against Sacred Heart.
 
Freshman forward Sabastian Townes led the Bulldogs with 17 points on Monday, making 6-of-12 attempts from the field.  Junior Bosko Kostur contributed 16 points, while freshman Ikenna Ndugba had 14 points and five assists.  Fellow rookie Adam Grant had seven points and eight rebounds.  The Bulldogs trailed 40-26 at halftime, but cut the deficit to 66-65 with 19 seconds left after Ndugba was fouled on a three-point attempt and converted all three free throws.  However, Harvard hit its final four free throws to close out the game.
 
Sophomore Nisre Zouzoua leads Bryant, and the NEC, with a 20.6 scoring average.  He's hit 48 threes this season.  Grant averages 14.6 points per game and sophomore Marcel Pettway is averaging 10.4 points per contest.  Ndugba is the NEC's assist leader, averaging 4.7 per game.
 
NEXT TIME OUT…
Saint Francis welcomes Central Connecticut State to DeGol Arena on Saturday for a 3 p.m. contest.  The game will be broadcast on ESPN3, with Paul Dottino (play-by-play) and Joe DeSantis (color) on the call.